Little Falls transcript., 1887-03-25
Are The Rich g Getting Richer
wi. And The Poor Poorer?

arc In0 l1lcn 0tt1ng H1cAer
wi And The Poor Poorer?
From the Farmer, st. Paul: The
assertion that the rich are growing richer
and the poor poorer has been so frequent
~ made and taken, for granted
by pessimists aud others who, troubling
themselves little about facts, adopt any
popular axiom as. q text upon which to
preach sermon that viii please thfir
that IT is no@A assumed 70 be
indispu.ab|c by that large number Of
persons who rarely do their own think
ing Or who, if they think at all, are too
apt to take the accepted views Of. those
they associate with; as the basis of
their thoughts. It would be we'll for us
always 10 ascertain the truth of a pro-,
position before we adopt it as the basis
of an argument. Who has not heard
the story Of the monarch who-propound-
ed for elucidation by his courtiers the
query why it was that a pailful Of water.
weighed no more after fish weighing
five ponds had been put into it then ii
did before. The assembled courties de-
bAted the question long aud earnestly,
assigning numerous reasons for the
phenomenon, which were all in turn
promptly refuted as unsound by their
prince, until one of them, bolder or
more sceptical than the rest, asked him
bluntly if he knew that the pail with the
fish in it did weigh no more than it did
before the fish was introduced, and the
laugh was turned effectually on the
dsputants when the monarch admitted
that it did weigh more by just the
weight of the fish.
In like manner we propose to ask our
friends who have assumed it to be The
fact that the rich are yearly growing
richer and the poor poorer, and have
thereon built frequent discussion and
sage conclusions, whether they know this
,o be the fate? And how do they know
it?
There may be classes and conditions
of purely brute force unaided by in,elli-
gence, where the remuneration has
decreased more rapidly than prices of
necessaries Of life, but even that would
not be easily proved, and if proved it is
partly attributable. no doubt, to the fact
that the increase Of population ia the
world accompanied by Increasing in
telligence must unquestjonably make it
hard rowing for the unintelligent
worker. There is also no doubt that
there are in this country especially q
large number Of perspas having colossal
fortunes, but after all taking the popuIa-
ton as whole, it would. probably sur
prise us 10 find what small proportion
of the entire wealth Of the country is
owned by the great milllonaires and
how extensively the shares Of great co.,
porations are scattered throughout q
large constituency Of persons in moderate
circumstances. The records of the
saying banks. representing almost
entirely the savings of the poor and
those in moderate circumstances, show
a steady increase in the proportion of say.
ing per capita, while in many
occupations, hours of labsr have been
reduced, and everywhere the price Of
necessary articles of food and clothing
has been greatly lessened.~ The adjust
ment of changing conditions in tho econ
omic world will always cause much
trouble, much Inconvenience and even
suffering to one class or another, but i,
can certainly be shown that, taking the
average wages and average prices of the
accessories of life, to-day, the great
mass of the people of the United States
and Great Britain are better of. than ID
any former generation. Taking oul
farming class, for example, will not the
records show that the farmers life IL or
the whole easier then it was 80 or 4(
years ago; the mortgages are fewer and
the rate Of inter est generally less thar
formerly, and that where industry anc
frn gality have been aided by intelligence
the farmers are steadily progressing?
. 81 @E-E